Columbia to Pay $9 Million to Settle Lawsuit Over US News College Ranking Data

‘While the University denies any wrongdoing, it deeply regrets deficiencies in prior reporting,’ a Columbia University spokesperson said.
Columbia to Pay $9 Million to Settle Lawsuit Over US News College Ranking Data
The main campus of Columbia University in New York City on April 12, 2025. Caitlin Ochs/Reuters
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Columbia University has agreed to pay $9 million to settle a proposed class-action lawsuit by a former student who claimed the school submitted inaccurate data to U.S. News & World Report, artificially inflating its position in the publication’s annual ranking of American universities.

In a statement to The Epoch Times, a university spokesperson said Columbia did not admit to any wrongdoing as part of the agreement and is entering into the settlement to “avoid protracted and costly litigation.”